flip-a-district fridays: volume III
Welcome to this week's Flip-a-District or as we're calling it, "Defend-a-District." We're featuring Congressmen Bobby Scott, Donald McEachin, and Gerry Connolly of the Third, Fourth, and Eleventh Districts, respectively. All three men are in relatively blue districts, meaning their races are must-wins if Democrats want to keep the House of Representatives in November.
Third Congressional District
Meet the candidate: Bobby Scott
The son of a doctor and a public school teacher, Bobby grew up in the southeast Virginia community of Newport News and has devoted his life and career in service to this area. He attended Harvard College and received his law degree from Boston College. During and immediately after law school, he served in the National Guard and the U.S. Army Reserve.
After passing the Virginia bar exam, Bobby returned home to Newport News and founded the Peninsula Legal Aid Center to ensure representation of those unable to afford an attorney. He also served as one of the youngest branch presidents of the Newport News NAACP. Bobby is an active member of many community organizations and is a member of St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church in southeast Newport News.
Prior to serving in Congress, Bobby served for 15 years in the Virginia General Assembly where he focused his legislative efforts on creating jobs, increasing access to affordable healthcare, improving education and economic opportunities, promoting evidence-based crime prevention strategies and enhancing consumer protections. Bobby's legislative successes in the General Assembly include raising Virginia's minimum wage, enhancing opportunities for Virginia's families, and establishing the Governor's Employment and Training Council.
With his first election to Congress in November 1992, Bobby made history by becoming the first African-American elected to Congress from Virginia since the Reconstruction Era. Because his maternal grandfather immigrated from the Philippines during the Spanish-American War, Bobby also has the distinction of being the first voting member of Congress with Filipino ancestry.
Because of his penchant for working long hours in the Capitol and regularly barnstorming the Third Congressional District to make himself available to everyone he represents, Bobby was recognized as one of the 25 hardest working Members of Congress by "The Hill" in 2010.
Third District:
The Third District is solidly blue -- Scott handily bested his opponents over the years with the closest election being in 2016, when Scott won with 66 percent of the vote (he outperformed Hillary Clinton by three points in the district). Northam won the district with 68 percent and Kaine won it with 70 percent in 2017 and 2018, respectively.
Republican John Collick is getting absolutely crushed on the fundraising front by Scott. Collick has just $10,545.15 on hand while Scott has $179,588.14 as of June 30. Most sources list this race as "Safely Democrat."
The Third District is located in southeast Virginia where the James, Nansemond and Elizabeth rivers meet the Chesapeake Bay. It encompasses the core of the Hampton Roads region, including all of the cities of Franklin, Newport News and Portsmouth, parts of the cities of Chesapeake, Hampton, Norfolk and Suffolk, and all of Isle of Wight County.
Just one example of why we must beat John Collick:
John Collick is the wrong candidate for the Third District for many reasons, but one glaring example is his dismissiveness of the coronavirus' ongoing damage in the Commonwealth. The pandemic has claimed over 200,000 American lives as of this week, including over 3,000 Virginians.
Collick apparently does not believe that COVID-19 is a real threat or at least is playing it down for political reasons given the President's (of whom Collick is a huge fan) dismal response.
From the Virginian-Pilot in June:
Collick said the response to the pandemic was “a big overreaction by everybody involved.” He said people can decide for themselves whether they need to stay home, and Gov. Ralph Northam was “heavy handed” in his directives to shut down the state to prevent the spread of the virus.
In response to a question posed in September by WAVY News about how Collick would approach the health and economic disasters caused by the pandemic, he wrote:
1. Personal freedom: I would encourage the Department of Justice to continue its oversight, ensuring the rights of all people are fully intact.
2. Destroying small business: I support tax forgiveness of small businesses that were shut down for more than half the quarantine period.
3. Business operations: I support legislation preventing governments from shutting down any business in the context of stay-at-home orders while allowing other businesses providing the same service to continue operating.
It's worth noting that in the same interview, Collick claims that the greatest issue facing the Third District is "military preparedness." It's an odd choice given that we're in the midst of economic and health crises unlike anything our country has ever seen.
Because of under-reactors like Collick and inaction by the federal government, mask-wearing, social-distancing, and other behavioral adjustments have been slow to take hold in the United States. Unfortunately, a virus does not disappear just because people have grown tired of it. Collick's COVID-19 views are based in wishful thinking, not science.
The Third District needs true leadership and vigilance in this time of uncertainty, not a Trump cheerleader who spends his time complaining about his state's governor.
Contact the campaign here.
Contribute here.
Fourth Congressional District
Meet the candidate: Donald McEachin
A. Donald McEachin was first elected to represent the Fourth Congressional District of Virginia in the United States House of Representatives on November 8, 2016. He serves as a Regional Whip, co-chair of the House Democratic Environmental Message Team, Whip of the Congressional Black Caucus, co-chair of the Congressional Black Caucus’ Energy, Environment, and Agriculture Task Force, and vice-chair of the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC). During his first term in Congress, McEachin co-founded the United for Climate and Environmental Justice Congressional Task Force and continues to lead the task force as a Co-Chair.
Prior to his service in Congress, McEachin served as a legislator in both chambers of Virginia’s General Assembly, where he fought to protect our most vulnerable citizens -- and to defend the rights of all Virginians -- throughout that time. McEachin is a dedicated public servant who has consistently led efforts that to promote equality, curb gun violence, protect our environment, and preserve access to affordable health care.
McEachin is the son of an Army veteran and a public-school teacher and was raised in the area that he now proudly represents in Congress. He graduated from American University with a degree in Political Science and from the University of Virginia School of Law. In May 2008, he received his Master of Divinity from The Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University.
Donald McEachin and his wife Colette are the parents of three adult children. Colette is also an attorney with extensive experience, presently working in the Richmond City Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office. He remains very active in the community, and is a lifetime member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. and the NAACP. He is also a member of the Virginia State Bar and the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association.
Fourth District:
The Fourth District is reliably blue, but slightly more competitive relative to the Third District. Clinton beat Trump here 58 to 37 percent, with McEachin earning about the same percent of the vote in November 2016. The region's districts were significantly redrawn earlier that year when an electoral map previously created by the GOP-led General Assembly was found by the courts to be unconstitutional.
The incumbent Congressman has $387,345.51 cash on hand compared to Republican Leon Benjamin's $72,428.78 on hand. This is a must-win district for Democrats.
The Fourth District encompasses the City of Richmond, reaching east to the James River across from Jamestown, west to Wilsons, and south to the North Carolina border.
Just one example of why we must beat Leon Benjamin:
Benjamin, who is the current Chairman of the Republican Party of Richmond City and "an evangelical adviser to the White House," is a super groupie of Donald Trump's. If you recognize his name, it may be because he is also a failed Richmond City Council candidate, he sued Governor Northam over COVID-19-related executive orders, and is a very prolific tweeter.
It is hard to describe how much of a fan Benjamin is of the President on Twitter -- here a thread of his pro-Trump tweets since 2016. Benjamin's sycophantic obsession has yielded some personal rewards though -- he gave the opening prayer at a Fredericksburg rally for Trump in 2016 and, after the GOP tax bill passed Congress, Benjamin went to the White House "on behalf of...African-American families" and "urban communities" to thank Trump for "making good on his promises." Benjamin soon proudly tweeted this:
Benjamin either is not aware of the basics of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA), or he knew what was in the bill and was just touting it to get Trump's attention. "The average guy" that Benjamin references is simply not benefiting the most from Trump's tax bill, no matter how you try to add up the numbers -- it's the wealthiest Americans and corporations that really won.
As they say, the devil is in the details, and the devil in this case is partly in the TCJA's state and local tax (SALT) deduction. SALT deductions permit taxpayers who itemize when filing federal taxes to deduct certain taxes paid to state and local governments. In higher taxed areas, eliminating the SALT deduction is akin to a tax increase on many filers. Senator Tim Kaine analyzed the GOP bill on a district-by-district basis and found that because of Trump's tax "cut," 38 percent of households in the Fourth Congressional District "could face a tax increase under the bill because of their use of SALT deductions for tax relief. The average SALT deduction in the Fourth District is $7,839."
Additionally, it's the richest of the rich who are getting the lion's share of the cuts from the TCJA. The Tax Policy Center (TPC) at the Brookings institute found that "the individual income tax provisions alone will raise after-tax income by 0.3 percent for households in the lowest quintile, 2.2 percent for those in the top quintile, 3.4 percent for those in the 95th–99th percentile, and 2.2 percent for taxpayers in the top 1 percent." This calculation proves that the TCJA includes a very paltry tax cut for middle-class Americans compared to a boon for the wealthiest Americans. The TPC also found that "distribution of the pass-through provisions in the [bill] are even more regressive...[as] 44 percent of the benefit of the pass-through provision in 2018 will accrue to households earning more than $1,000,000 per year. Only 2 percent of the benefit will accrue to households income making $50,000 or less." By 2027 -- the year of the bill's last phased-in cuts -- "[t]axpayers in the top 5 percent will receive virtually all the tax cuts at that point."
Finally, corporations received a massive tax cut -- the top corporate income tax rate dropped from 35 percent to 21 percent -- which did not lead to the promised proportional job growth. The TPC found that instead of using the additional cash to invest in new jobs, "lower corporate tax rates mainly subsidize the return to previously made investments. These gains benefit existing shareholders, including foreigner shareholders, but do little to raise incentives to invest." Basically, companies were paid by the Trump tax bill to increase "spending on stock buybacks, which can pump up a share price without building anything or hiring anyone," or dole out one-time bonuses or wage hikes to existing corporate employees. Notably, the corporate tax cuts are permanent, while cuts for the middle class phase out relatively quickly.
Several companies like Amazon, Netflix, and Chevron now pay zero dollars to the federal government in taxes. We wonder how "the average guy" in the Fourth District feels about that.
Contact the campaign here.
Contribute here.
Eleventh Congressional District
Meet the candidate: Gerry Connolly
Gerry Connolly is in his sixth term in Congress representing the Eleventh House District. He serves on the Committee on Oversight and Reform and the Committee on Foreign Affairs. He has earned a reputation as a fiscally responsible legislator and an independent voice for Northern Virginia. Gerry quickly became known as an expert in Congress on local and state government issues including transportation and education. He is also regarded as a strong advocate for federal employees and issues affecting the information technology and government contracting sectors, which form the backbone of Northern Virginia’s economy and workforce.
Gerry has received numerous awards for his efforts in Congress to assist veterans and the children of active military families at war, promote smart growth initiatives, protect parklands and fragile natural areas, and fight for increased research and treatment for breast cancer. He was elected President of his freshman class by his colleagues and served as a liaison to House leadership in that role -- advocating for moderate, pragmatic policies supported by fellow new members of Congress. In a tough economic climate, Gerry has successfully steered funding to Northern Virginia for vital projects, including completion of the Fairfax County Parkway, widening of the Prince William Parkway, accelerating work on Rail to Dulles, purchasing locomotives and rail cars to maintain safety and add capacity on Virginia Railway Express, and funding for Metro. In Fairfax and Prince William, he has also fought to save teachers’ jobs and protect quality education.
Gerry’s career as a public official began on March 28, 1995 when he was elected Providence District Supervisor on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and was re-elected to a four-year term on the board in November of that same year. Gerry was unopposed for re-election in November 1999. In 2003, he was elected Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and was reelected in 2007.
Gerry Connolly and Cathy “Smitty” Smith, his wife of more than thirty years, live in Mantua and have been residents of Fairfax County since 1979. Their daughter, Caitlin Rose, is a recent graduate of a Virginia university. Gerry received a B.A. in Literature from Maryknoll College in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, and an M.A. in Public Administration from Harvard University in 1979.
Eleventh District:
The Eleventh District is currently a blue stronghold thanks to Congressman Connolly's excellent service in the House. The district was represented by Republican Tom Davis from 1994 until his retirement in 2008, when Gerry Connolly faced Republican Keith Fimian in an open race and won back this previously red seat by 11 points. The district is only recently this Democratic -- during the 2010 elections when the GOP took back the House, Connolly eked out a win in his rematch with Fimian by just 0.43 percent. But voters backed Clinton with 65 percent in 2016, Northam by 70 percent in 2017, and Kaine by 73 percent in 2018. The District has definitely gotten bluer over the last decade.
Connolly is taking nothing for granted, however, and continues to raise money to fund a great campaign. He has brought in $1,603,139.46 this year and has a substantial $3,157,380.23 on hand. Republican challenger Manga Anantatmula has raised $90,824.96 in total and has $38,105.71 cash on hand.
Three-quarters of the Eleventh District is in Fairfax County, with nearly a quarter being in Prince William County, and the remaining three percent in Fairfax City.
Just one example of why we must beat Manga Anantatmula:
It's difficult to pin down Anantatmula on policy because she so rarely talks about it. Here was her "Issues" section on her website as of July.
This very...informative list of ten bullet points has since been fleshed out to eight slightly larger sections, one of which confidently declares "[t]hey are shutting down schools for political reasons and it has nothing to do with COVID."
Anantatmula is instead running a highly negative campaign focused not on substance, but on trash-talking Congressman Connolly. Her tweets are an alarming window into the mind of someone who would be an absolute disaster in the House of Representatives.
Here she is baselessly accusing Connolly of racism while desperately trying to get the attention of Fox News contributors and the Trumps.
Here she is calling into question the legitimacy of Black Lives Matter based on...the timing of tragic police shootings?
Finally, here is Anantatmula really showing her cards on racial justice.
One does not need to be particularly insightful to see that Anantatmula would be a terrible member of the House for a district that is becoming more racially diverse.
Contact the campaign here.
Contribute here.